The Exmouth Gulf Prawn Fishery is Western Australia's second largest prawn fishery. The fishery is recognised as one of the best managed and sustainable fisheries in the world. The MG Kailis Group in consultation with Fisheries WA, manage the fishery in ‘real time’. This style of management is unique due to our vessels fishing each night and returning to port each day. This allows analysis of daily catch information together with that obtained from the processing facility, which is then used to make management decisions to ensure the sustainability of the fishery. The success of this style of management is evident with the fishery’s average catch higher than at any point in the fishery’s history.

In 1983 following consultation between Fisheries WA and licence holders a permanent nursery area was established to ensure a habitat was set aside to allow prawns to breed, spawn and grow without being affected by fishing activities.

The MG Kailis Group owns and operates all vessels that are licensed to harvest prawns in the Exmouth Gulf. The company has invested in the most advanced fishing technology to ensure prawns are harvested efficiently with the least amount of impact on the environment as possible. Our net design incorporates Turtle Exclusion Devices and Fish Exclusion Devices. All our vessels have the most advanced sorting systems available, ensuring the catch is maintained in seawater whilst it is being sorted and any by-catch is returned to the ocean alive. Testing of the system by Fisheries WA revealed that 97% of by-catch was returned alive.

The Exmouth Gulf Prawn Fishery has been certified by the Australian Government’s Department of Environment and Heritage as being sustainable. Additionally, the US Department of State has certified the fishery as “posing no threat to turtles” allowing Exmouth prawns to be exported to the US.